I wait for a good fifteen minutes before calling to Sienna. “You can come out, now.”
I can’t help but wonder, would I have opened the door if I was in the middle of making love? Probably not, but still, it reminds me of how close they got to her.
Our breakfast cold, I place her plate in the microwave and pull out a chair.
“Coffee?”
Dressed in yesterday’s outfit, she plops down in a chair, and holds up her mug. “Who was at the door?”
How much should I tell her?“UPS.”
“Did you order something good?”
“No. Actually, I didn’t order a goddamned thing.” I pour dark liquid out of the carafe and her eyebrows raise until she gets what I’m saying.
“Shit. Was it Peter?” She jumps to the front and looks out.
“Good God, stay out of the window.” I grab her by the waist and sit her down in front of a carton of cream.
When I’m sure she’s not going to jump up again, I take a deep breath, and recall what just took place. “I didn’t see Peter but there were at least four men ready to storm my door.”
The microwave dings, the toast is hard as a rock and the eggs dried so I toss it in the garbage.
She eyes the mess, stands, and squats to pull out a carton of eggs from my refrigerator. Then, she washes out the small fry pan. Before she can use a metal fork on the stick-free surface, I hand her a spatula and put the cream back in the refrigerator.
After, I wipe up the counter top where she spilled egg whites. Before she notices my compulsion to keep things neat, I kiss her mindless.
When we come up for air, I figure now is as good a time as any to give her the bad news. “We’re leaving tonight for North Carolina.”
“No. no way. I got gigs lined up. If I cancel, I lose my credibility. It’ll be worse than starting over.”
“Certainly, if you explain the circumstances, everyone will understand.”
“Right. Let me try it out on you. My dead husband just came back to life so I need to leave town for a while.”
I grimace. “Yeah, I hear you but it doesn’t matter. We’re leaving. End of story.”
“Don’t you think you should’ve asked me first?”
It pisses me off she thinks so little of her life. “What the fuck, Sienna? Someone is trying to kill you.”
“Well, yeah. And?”
“I’m not going to let that happen.”
“I’ll be fine. I assume you sent the police the audio file, right? What more could anyone want with me? There’s no logical reason to want me dead.”
“What about the hard drive?”
“I don’t know, dammit. You’re my lawyer. Do something. I’m not leaving.” Her chin juts out and arms cross over his chest.
I haven’t seen this stubborn side of her or maybe I have and it didn’t bother me so much. I’m falling hard for this woman and yet I wonder if we’re compatible enough to stay together for a few minutes, let alone, a lifetime.
No longer hungry, I head downstairs. “I’ll be in my office if you need me. I’d advise you to stay clear of the front of the house. That UPS truck is probably parked around the corner or a sniper could pick you off in a heartbeat.”
“It was probably a real UPS truck. You’re just making all this shit up. Besides, I thought you said Jack sent some hot shot security guards.” She snorts through her nose, stopping me in my tracks.
Shit, she was right and I am off my game. It can’t happen again.
